Lola

3

"The trouble is, you think you have time"

- Buddha

Lola's face flushed with embarrassment as she briskly exited the gas station. She noticed her dad talking to the cashier as she made her exit.

The cashier had locked eyes with her as he talked to her father, but she ignored his dark gaze and shuffled towards the U-Haul.

"Did...did you handle it?" he dad asked awkwardly as he entered the car. She stiffly nodded her head and forced her lips to stretch into an awkward smile. He tossed tampons onto her lap and she mumbled an embarrassed thanks. She definitely wasn't going to talk to him about her false alarm. Not even a false alarm, more like a mislabelled alarm. She rubbed her stomach as she watched a multitude of cars pull in to the vacant parking lot. 

"Well this must be a popular spot." he father hummed as he drove away. Her eyes felt heavy but her body hurt too much to go to sleep. 

Her body continued to heat up uncomfortably as they entered the heart of town. 

-

Ages later, Lola and her father had finally arrived at her grandmother's house, they were just in time for Mama Jody's steak and fries. Mama Jody was a tiny and stout woman with pearly white dreadlocks that grazed against the bakery's worn tiles. Wrinkles creased her eyes and mouth, and her hands were coarse and weathered with at all the work she had done in her youth. Despite age wearing Jody down, she still managed to look elegant and beautiful.

Her rich umber skin was still radiate, and her eyes revealed decades of sagacity and secrets.

Jody smiled affectionately as she saw her beautiful grandchild and son in her bakery. Jody lived in a cozy apartment that was connected to the store, it made it easy for her to manage her life's work.

"Oh! My babies!" Mama Jody cried as she attempted to wrap her small around them both.

Her son chuckled, "Oh stop it ma!"

Jody slapped her son's arm, "You ought to be ashamed of yourself Augustus Lee Aims! You haven't visited me in ages! All I ever get now is phone calls and Christmas cards!" she bellowed and quickly wiped at the tears that had strayed from her face.

Augustus shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, but his face was riddled with shame. His eyes started to blur as he slowly took in his mom's face.

"That's all gonna change now ma. I'm back, and Lola and I are here to stay isn't that right Lola?" He sighed before slightly moving away from his mother's arms. He gave Lola a playful rough nudge.

"Augustus, you better leave my baby alone! Let me get a good look at ya child, I haven't seen you since you were about six years old!" Jody wiped her wet face before cupping Lola's. Lola still felt sickly as Jody inspected her.

The elderly woman's eyes creased in confusion as she saw the slight indents that inconspicuously marred Lola's face. They were almost unnoticeable due to the makeup that was caked over them. Lola was bewildered as Jody started to gently rub at Lola's left cheek. The foundation that Lola had applied in the early hours of the morning started to spread apart as the pinkish flesh of her scars slowly revealed themselves. 

Lola was too shocked to register was Jody had done, and would later wonder how Jody had noticed the makeup at all. 

Three jagged flaws appeared under the dim and warm lights of Jody's bakery.

Jody's face twisted in slight shock. Realization quickly dawned on Jody as she tilted Lola's head to further examine the since-healed wounds. Despite the photographs sent to her, she had never noticed the markings of the wolf on her niece before.

"I think that's enough ma," Augustus said softly, and his big hand enveloped his mothers.

Jody's hands fell from Lola's trembling figure.

Lola backed away and she used her hand to conceal her cheek. She pressed her eyes shut as her dad lead her to her grandmother's apartment.

-

sӵ

11/20/17 

I downloaded grammerly and my life has changed for the better.

sinfully short chapter bc my school assignments are getting a lil toooo much rn and i am struggling to keep up with my final projects for the fall semester